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"Fates willing," She lifted both hands with fingers crossed. "Although after you gave me your blood, I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you."
He put the plates on the table and sat down. "Maybe you will feel better once you know what the plan is."
Her eyes widened. "Are you allowed to tell me?"
"I don't see why not." He pulled out a bunch of crackers and put them on her plate. "The ship will get as close as it can to shore about two hundred nautical miles north of Acapulco. We will take one or two lifeboats to shore and then drive to the location. Turner has arranged for bulletproof vehicles to await us, along with surveillance drones. We will stop several miles before reaching the place where we engaged the cartel and send out drones to scout the area. We are taking every precaution to protect ourselves from being ambushed, which is most likely what they are planning."
She shook her head. "I didn't even think of the possibility of an ambush. Just shows you how little I know about these things."
If anything, his explanation seemed to make her even more anxious.
Dagor reached out with his hand, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm a god, and I cantake hold of the minds of humans and immortals." He didn't add that he couldn't do that to a large group of people.
If they were all human, he and Negal together might have been able to do it, but the twelve immortals complicated things.
Her chin wobbled. "You're not impervious to bullets."
"I took two dozen bullets in my back, and it was nothing. It wasn't pleasant, but I was in no real danger. I possess strengths and abilities that far surpass those of the immortals and even Toven."
Frankie's eyes widened. "I knew you were more powerful than the immortals, but Toven? How?"
This wasn't a good time for a lesson in Anumati's history, but he'd promised to tell her more about himself, and he could condense the events that had taken place over thousands of years into a few minutes.
"Remember what I told you about the pods and the people inside of them?"
She nodded. "The Kra-ell, whoever they are."
"There are two species of intelligent beings on my home planet. Those who call themselves the gods and the Kra-ell. The Kra-ell are traditionalists who refused genetic alterations and followed a simpler way of life that was not based on technology. There is more to it than that, but I don't have time to dive into the entire history of our planet. At some point, the Kra-ell rebelled, demanding equal rights, and since the gods hadn't expected to have to defend themselves in their homes, they were not prepared. The Kra-ell were physically stronger and had had eons of tribal wars to develop their fighting skills. The godshad to resort to unconventional means to defend against the Kra-ell. They modified a class of robotic household servants, the Odus, transforming them into formidable killing machines. Long story short, the robotic servants were decommissioned after the rebellion and their manufacturing was outlawed. It was part of the peace agreement between the gods and the Kra-ell. To compensate, new genetic modifications were included for the new generations of gods. I was among those who received enhancements to increase our strength and speed to give us an edge against the Kra-ell. These enhancements make me more powerful than most gods, including Toven."
"So, you're like... supercharged?"
Dagor chuckled softly, appreciating her attempt to ease the tension. "Something like that, yes. I have abilities that are beyond the ordinary, even by the standards of my world."
"Oh, wow, that's so hot." She fanned herself jokingly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm one lucky girl. I can now boast that my boyfriend is stronger than Mia's."
"You might not want to do that. Toven is royalty, and I am not. He has a glow, and I don't."
"Yeah, the Clan Mother glows, too, but that's just a gimmick. It doesn't do anything. You have super strength."
"True, but Anumati's society is hierarchical despite purporting to be a democracy with equal rights and opportunities for all. At the top are the royal families, which have the strongest luminosity; below them are the nobles, who are distant relatives of the royal families who retained some glow; and at the bottom are the commoners, which is where I fall."
"What about the Kra-ell?"
"They have their own society and their own hierarchy. The Kra-ell queen is usually the strongest compeller, which is a hereditary trait, so the throne basically stays in the family even though any other Kra-ell female can challenge the queen."
Frankie listened intently, her gaze never leaving his face. "That's so fascinating. When you return from the mission, you must tell me more."
"I will." Dagor squeezed her hand. "Rest. Watch some movies to take your mind off the mission or spend time with Mia. I'll be back before you know it."
"Promise?" She gripped his hand, tears brimming in her eyes.
"I promise." He leaned over and kissed her lips, her nose, her cheeks, her forehead. "I love you, and I'll be back."
Kalugal
Kalugal stood on the outdoor promenade, the cool ocean breeze whipping around him as he waited for his team to assemble.
He gazed at the lifeboats and contemplated how many were needed. Each was capable of carrying one hundred and fifty people, so one lifeboat was enough for their team of forty, but the idea of deploying two boats seemed like a good tactical move. If the Doomers somehow found out about them disembarking north of Acapulco and sent someone to investigate, they would assume that a much larger force was coming their way.
